Just a few photos and a wee update.

[Ideation 8,216]

Some of you will know that this year i took on the job of keeper on a local estate/shoot, which had a really bad season last year. I have never worked as a keeper before, but grew up around shoots as my dad was a pretty good spaniel breeder and trainer/trialer. So i figured i would toss my hat into the ring, and after having a meeting, they decided to go with me as part time keeper (full time job, part time hours haha)

 

We got our birds in, in July, and i spent the first three months of the job feeding the birds, trying to change some of the habitats (with the working guns), killing vermin and generally trying to get things to a state where we would have a better season than the previous, where they had managed less than 300 birds for the whole season.

 

There have been some major set backs, which have included the total failing of our game/cover crops, with it being too wet / too dry, for them to get sown and to grow. This made life difficult, because obviously they were where the birds would hold, and also at least two of the drives are almost entirely based around them. The weather also didnt help the birds, and some of the working guns have been worse than useless and have actually hindred stuff. Oh yer, and we have a massive buzzard and gos problem . . . . .

 

Anyway, i worked at it, taking some advice and making some of it up as i went a long. . . .

 

We had our first shoot day about 3 weeks ago, and managed to make the bag to 96! As you cam imagine i was relieved and the guns etc were very happy. The birds flew well, and many said that it was the best day that they had seen on the shoot in at least ten years.

 

Two weeks later (last week) we had our second shoot day, and everyone was ready for a let down, expecting it to go down hill from the 96. Much to their delight, we shot 109 birds! It's been a very long time since the shoot broke the ton.

 

We have our third driven day tomorrow, and although i know that the bag will be less than the first two days, as we did some of the drives only a week ago, and the other drives are always quieter, i am still hoping for a half decent day. The problem is now, where 50 would have been a very good day last year, they will see it as a flop after the first two!

 

I'm also happy that so far we have managed 4 species, Pheasant, Partridge, Duck and Woodcock. The Patridge were a new addition to the shoot this year and despite having problems because of the lack of game crops, i have them holding around some hedges rows at the top of a very steep hill, so when we push them off the top they are spectacular.

 

Anyway, i just thought i would share that with you. And also some photos i snapped whilst running about on the first day. I never took my camera on day 2 unfortunatly, as i was rushing about to leave the house by 5.45 am.

 

A massive thankyou must also go out to Zerky on here, who i only met this year and has turned out before first light on both days (and tomorrow), to act as a stop for me and my right hand man on the day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2012 by Ideation

[TUFFTY 1,476]

Exellent bud well done

 

TUFFTY

[paulus 26]

looks like a well organised setup to me "propper job" your worrying to much mate, just take each day as it comes and most of all enjoy it

[Ideation 8,216]

Cheers lads, its a big area to do on your own, but can produce some really fantastic birds, very high, very sporting. The fourth photo down shows an idea of what the drives are like, the birds coming from above where i am standing and the gun line being in the field below where you can see sheep. Hopefully the season will continue going well, we shall see. Even 50 tomorrow would still be good But i'd rather 70-100

Edited November 13, 2012 by Ideation

[lanber 3]

Welldone mate, good read and great pics.. Hope the season carries on being good one for you.. Hoping to get a part time post myself next year...

[Gooner 143]

Well done looks a good set up. How many birds did you put down, what has been the normal return?

Keep up the good work

[Ideation 8,216]

Cheers both.

 

Gooner - We put down 3000 phesants and 200 Partridge. Also we have a decent population of wild duck, on and coming into a number of ponds. We've been flighting in the evenings as well and have had decent returns there.

 

The normal return in a good year has been around 650 last year was around 300, its a tricky place to control birds as its big, but long, and has lots of woodland,valleys etc There are no surrounding shoots that release birds and the farms that border it for the most part, plant big fields of maize and other crops, which as you can imagine draws the birds like feck. Also the buzzards and gos are a major problem, probably killing something like 500 + poults.

 

Lanber - good luck!

[Rake aboot 4,935]

Good luck with the third day Jai. and well done bud

 

Just tell them the Druid Gods wurnae playing if the day goes shite,, they will believe aw that hippy bollocks fi you mate ! lol

[alimac 882]

Top job fella, great ground for producing... Aslong as you beat 650 for the season then you can pat yourself on the back & expect the guns to be pleased. First season is always the hardest. Keep it up..

[Ideation 8,216]

Well, this week, i have been struggling with a broken spinner and quad, no food to fill hoppers, guns who say they will / have done things that they never do. . . . and the rain

 

But still, it beats sitting inside!

 

Cheers both!

 

ali - i'm enjoying it, but not sure if this is to be my first and last season, i never really planned to be a keeper, just wanted to help get them out a hole. So far the guns are buzzing.

[RubyTex 1,957]

Quality Ideation i'm well chuffed for you, you're one of the good lads on here and with your passion for the countryside the shoot can only get better!!

[Gkeeper111 22]

Nice one mate! You should be able to constantly hit the -120 mark with the numbers of birds you put down so I wouldn't worry too much. Out of interest how many shots to birds ratio?

 

Cheers

A

[eddie3 9]

well done friend ,good write up and pics looks a cracking shoot, everyones going to be happy with bags like that. how many days do you have left ?

Edited November 14, 2012 by eddie3

[tegater 789]

Looks a lovely shoot Jai, and I enjoyed reading the report. Thanks.

[Ideation 8,216]

Thanks all for the kind words!

 

We had our third day today, and despite some f**k ups, resulting in losing birds from drives etc, we managed 84 for the day, picked up. Will probably find a couple more tomorrow morning.

 

Gkeeper - i know that we should be shooting 40 % on paper, but this shoot has never made that. Like i said before, we have no surrounding shoots, and the land surrounding has big crop fields that draw the birds like mad. Also the estate is very long and quite thin, meaning you are never that far from a border. Add to that, the fact that our boss like to do stuff like have music festivals or land rover rallys around the place, and the fact that we have one keeper, which is me, employed only part time, to feed 3000 birds and cover 1000 + acres. . . . .

 

I'd be very happy to shoot 1000 over the season

 

Shot to bird ratio, last week was 1/3. This week, i have not looked at the end tally, but by lunch it was about 48 birds for 252 shots, something like that, so a lot weaker this time, the guns were shite. First drive was 104 shots for 18 birds, which is about 1/6, embaressing! Also on that drive, i had about 60/70 birds flushed at once over 2 pegs, by an uncontrolled dog.

 

We do have some good shooting though, today we had the owner of webbly and scott as a guest, and he shot very well, letting a lot of good birds go by him and picking out the crazy high birds to shoot.